


More Than I Seem

by orphan_account



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Dystopian society, Everyone is sketchy, Fake Names, Freddie has a little sister, Larry is married, M/M, Minor Character Death, Rebellion, larry stylinson - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2017-05-09
Packaged: 2018-10-29 18:25:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10859574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Freddie is eighteen and now he has two choices - find a job or serve in the army. He gets the job shoved into his hands, and then, he's off to work for who knows who. Things get crazier when Freddie meets a seemingly mute boy, who goes by B, a very forward head of the servant's department, Zen, a cold-hearted boss, Mr. Payne, and his guests: the Tomlinsons. The shorter one seems to have a great dislike for Freddie, and the curly one seems almost sympathetic. If things weren't bad enough, it gets worse.





	More Than I Seem

“Freddie!”

I groaned loudly as something heavy slammed down on my back, pulling the blankets from my bare back. “Go away,” I grumbled into my pillow.

“It’s your birthday, Freddie! C’mon get up!” My little sister bounced up and down on my back excitedly, grabbing my extra pillow and hitting it against the back of my head. “Up, up!”

“Tils, it’s the weekend. Let me sleep.”

Tilly climbed off my bed, taking my blankets with her. “Mum made breakfast. Hurry up otherwise you’ll be late!”

I heard her clumsy footfalls run downstairs and talking loudly to my mother. I rolled onto my back and stared at my ceiling, sighing loudly. My birthday wasn’t always the happiest day. My mother refused to talk about it. It was a miracle she decided to make breakfast today at all. Maybe it was because today I was finally leaving home and “going out to see the real world” as Tilly liked putting it.

I quickly got dressed, pulling on a white t-shirt and blue jeans. I walked into the kitchen, running a hand through my hair.

“Morning, mum,” I said, leaning over and kissing her cheek.

“Good morning, Freddie,” she said, reaching up to brush aside a piece of hair from my face. “Happy birthday!”

I gave her an odd expression. Never had I heard my mother tell me happy birthday. She wasn’t a bad mother or anything, but it was apparently a sensitive topic. I think it had something to do with my father, which was an absolute forbidden topic. The last time I’d brought him up, my mother had backhanded me.

In fact, I think relationships are all sensitive topics for my mother. I remember when I was ten, she married someone, had Tilly, and he left her immediately after my sister’s birth. When Tilly was younger, she’d sneak into my room and night and ask about her dad, and I would tell her some things I could remember. At least someone would tell her about her other parent.

“Oh, don’t look so glum, honey,” my mother said, setting a plate of pancakes in front of me. “You’re eighteen!”

I was still suspicious, but I said nothing, not wanting to ruin her good mood. “Sounds like you’re more than willing to get rid of me,” I joked.

She looked horrified. “Of course not! You’re just all grown up now, and you’ve got your own job that you’re starting _today_ , and you’re moving out. Oh god, you’re moving out, Freddie!” She actually started crying.

I didn’t know what to do. My mother had rarely cried, so I had no idea how to react. Before I could say anything, she wiped her eyes and gave me a teary smile. “It’s okay, though! It should be a happy day! You’re eighteen, you’re going to live your life, and you’re going to come back and visit your sister and your mum, right? You’re not going to forget about your family?”

I shook my head, standing and hugging her tightly. “No, of course not,” I said. I set my chin on her shoulder. I wasn’t tall, but I was taller than my mother. “I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

She pulled away, nodding and smiling. “Good, now eat breakfast and we’ll see you to the train station.”

~

“Bye Freddie!” Tilly screamed from the station platform, jumping and waving wildly. Her small eight-year-old arms jerked from side to side, making me smile and wave back from the train window.

My mother was calmer. I could see that she had tears in her eyes again, and she was waving with one hand, and had the other hand on Tilly’s shoulder. She blew me a silent kiss and mouthed to me as the train started to pull away, _I love you._

I smiled and mouthed the message back, sending it with a kiss as well. Before long, I couldn’t see the platform anymore and Tilly’s yellow dress was just a spot disappearing in the distance. I pulled my head back in and sat down, sighing loudly.

As the dreary landscape passed outside, I thought about where I was headed. London – once a bustling city was now a wasteland and home to only the richest and nobility. About ten years ago, England went through a horrible period. Many people lost their jobs and nearly all the money was divided between a few people. A tyrant took the throne, and completely shut England off from the rest of the world. Now, there were only two types of people in the world I know – the peasants and the rich.

People grew to not trust each other. Many friendships were broken and marriages ruined. Thousands tried to escape the country. It got to the point where no one trusted anybody, except family. Many people don’t give their real names, or only give a nickname of sorts. It was really sad to see how humanity was so easily destroyed.

A few laws were instituted. Some didn’t bother many people, but one applied to me. All children, regardless of gender, must serve ten years in the army, unless you had a job somewhere. And with England on the brink of a war with surrounding countries, many parents did not want their children serving in the military, so they tried to get jobs for their children.

Luckily for me, one of my teachers in school knew some people. Her only daughter had died two years ago from cancer, so she practically adopted me as a son. She did not want to see me in the army, so she made a few calls and told me that I had a job, but I had to start the day I turn eighteen.

It was great news, truly, if only I knew who I was working for.

~

Five hours later, I was stepping off the train. I stretched my legs and took my only suitcase in my hand. A few other people were standing on the otherwise deserted platform as the train pulled away. I looked around, taking in the grim setting.

A man was sitting, asleep on a bench, his bag clutched tightly to his chest. The man working the ticket booth glanced around suspiciously at everyone. A woman was holding the hand of a small girl in a red raincoat, and she was tapping her foot anxiously.

I felt a tap on my shoulder, and on instinct, I flinched and spun around.

A man was standing there, in a smart suit and tie, only a bit taller than me. He had dark brown eyes and he was obviously one of the richer men in London.

“Good evening,” he said in a soft, mellow voice. “Are you Lank Holster?”

I was slightly confused at first, about to tell him that he had the wrong person when I remembered that Lank Holster was my fake name. I nodded stiffly.

“Please follow me,” the man said, turning on his heels and started walking.

“Wait, who are you?” I asked, jogging to catch up.

“I was set to pick you up. Call me Zen.”

I couldn’t help but snort. “What kind of name is Zen?”

“Well, not everyone can have a great of a name as Lank, can they?” the man answered in the same mellow tone, but there was an obvious sting to his words.

We walked silently up into the streets of London, once again deserted. There was a sleek, black car parked on the curb. Zen pulled out a set of keys, and the car unlocked. He pulled open the passenger’s side, gesturing for me to enter.

I hesitantly stepped in. The car was well furnished, but I didn’t expect anything less from someone like Zen.

He slid gracefully into the driver’s side and started the car. We didn’t talk during the first few minutes of the drive.

“So am I working for you?” I asked after ten minutes of silence.

Zen shook his head, a smirk creeping on his face. “No, you’re going to be working as a butler for a duke. Did Madam L not tell you?”

“Madam L?” I asked, scrunching up my nose.

“Ah, I think you knew her as Mrs. T. She was your teacher, no?” Zen gave me a sideways glance.

“Then why do you call her Madam L?” I asked, curious. There seemed to be a lot more I did not know.

“She is a good friend of the duke’s. But she decided London life was not for her so she ran off and became a teacher.” Zen said. “She is rather fond of you.” He added after a moment of silence.

I nodded slowly. “Yeah, she’s like my second mum.”

Five minutes later, we were pulling up at the gates of a mansion. It was obviously well kept, with a beautiful, marble fountain and massive rose gardens in front.

Zen parked the car in front of the fountain and motioned for me to get out. He led me up to the doors and opened them silently. I stepped into the large hall, my mouth dropping open.

My family wasn’t exactly poor, but we weren’t bathing in gold either. My mother earned enough money to put food on the table every day and we had enough left over for a few special treats from time to time. But the paint hallway I was standing in probably cost more than everything that belonged to my family.

Zen shut the doors behind me and almost immediately, maids scurried out of nowhere, taking my suitcase and my coat. Zen told them to put them in my room and he snapped his fingers again. This time, a little boy walked out, his back hunched and his head hung low.

“Lank,” Zen said. “This is B. He doesn’t talk, and we don’t know anything about him, but he’s really good at what he does, so he’ll show you around. You’ll get used to his silence after a while.”

I looked the boy up and down. His head lifted the slightest bit, his eyes flickering up to mine and I was startled by the pain I felt, radiating from him. His gaze locked with mine for a split second and he looked back down. I slowly stretched my hand out. “Um, hi… B.”

He didn’t take my hand. I put it back to my side awkwardly.

“So,” Zen clapped his hands together, scaring me slightly. “I’ll leave you two to get acquainted. B, please show Lank around, give him a welcoming tour and send him off to bed, alright? You both have work tomorrow, so you’ll have to be up before sunrise!” Zen turned to me, nodding slightly. “Nice make of your acquaintance, Lank. Good night.”

Zen strolled off, heading up one of the two grand staircases and disappearing around a corner.

After Zen was gone, B turned on his heels and headed up the other staircase. He was so quiet I didn’t hear him leave at first, so I ran after him, hurrying to catch up. He turned the right, going down the hall. I felt like I had to run to catch up with him.

“B, please slow down!” I called, stumbling over my feet. B turned another sharp corner, and disappeared. When I got around the corner, B was nowhere to be seen. One of the doors was open, so I tentatively walked in, hoping B was in there. “Hello?” I called softly.

A light was shined in my face, making me scream. B was standing in front of me, holding a finger to his closed lips. My heart was beating wildly in my chest as I tried to calm down. “Why did you-”

B glared at me and moved his finger against his lips again, cutting me off.

“Sorry,” I whispered.

B continued into the dark room, and as his light brushed over the walls, I saw that we were in a grand library. It was full of thick books from the floor to the ceiling. A fireplace was built into one wall and thick, red curtains hung closed on the far end.

B stopped in front of a set of books and he took an old, leather bound book out. I opened my mouth to ask more questions when B reached into the book’s place and pushed the shelf. A second passed and the bookshelf rumbled before sinking back into the wall and rolling away. A small tunnel was in front of us. B flicked a switch and a row of fairy lights lit up, bathing the tunnel in a warm yellow glow.

“Woah,” I breathed, following B into the tunnel. He gestured for me to go first, which I did not trust. B could be bringing me here to kill me. I stopped and shook my head. “You go first,” I said.

B rolled his eyes, gesturing to the bookshelf and gestured for me to go first again. I shook my head again, more slowly.

Then, I heard footsteps coming from the hallway. B’s eyes widened and he quickly switched off the lights, plunging us into complete darkness. The footsteps walked into the library, becoming more muffled as the person drew closer into the darkness. B grabbed my hand and started pulling me into the tunnel. I could feel his fear, so I did not cry out in alarm. I couldn’t see a thing and I was hoping I wouldn’t die.

B pulled me around a corner sharply and drew me to the wall, slapping a hand over my mouth. My chest was heaving again, but I stayed as quiet as I could.

The footsteps had stopped. I heard someone clicking the switch for the light. The lights overheard flickered on again. I looked down at B, who’s pleading eyes were staring up at me. He had his lower lip clamped tightly between his teeth, and I could feel his heartbeat. He was just as nervous as I was.

The lights went out again, and I heard the bookshelf slowly rumble closed, locking up inside. A few more seconds passed and B let go of me. I slumped against the wall, breathing hard.

“What the hell was that?” I demanded in a harsh whisper. B turned on his flashlight and he looked at me, for a long time, just looking at my face. Then he shook his head and reached into the pocket of his rather worn shorts.

He pulled out a small piece of white rock. I watched confused as he put the rock to the walls of the tunnel and wrote on it.

_Duke._

“That was the duke?” I asked. “How did he know we were here?”

_Duke knows everything._

“What do you mean?” I asked, my heartbeat picking up again. “B?”

He shook his head, wiping the wall off with his hand.

_I cannot reveal more. I’ll take you to your room._

He wiped the wall again.

_I’ll show you around tomorrow. Just stay away from the duke._

“Why?” I asked again as B wiped the wall clean of the chalk dust. “Who’s the duke?"

B stared at me. He slowly shook his head and kept walking down the hall, forcing me to follow him with millions of questions racing through my mind.

~

It had been nearly midnight when I finally got into bed. My room was small, but cozy. The walls were painted a dark navy blue and there was a window that peered into the gardens. My suitcase was already inside.

B had disappeared right after showing me to the room. I had tried to turn around and thank him but he was gone when I looked again.

The bed was very nice and I fell asleep almost immediately.

It felt like too soon when I was shaken awake. I opened my eyes to see only grey light coming in from the windows. B was peering down at me, lightly shaking my arm.

I blinked a few times. “Is it time to get up already?” I croaked, wanting to go back to sleep.

He nodded, backing away for me to stand. I rolled out of bed, starting towards my suitcase for something to wear. B stopped me and pointed to a small stack of clothing at the foot of my bed. I looked at it and looked at him.

B was wearing button up shirt with his sleeves rolled up halfway. He had a black vest on over it, complete with gold buttons. His bow tie was also black. He was also wearing black slacks that looked a bit long for him. But overall, B looked a lot older. When I first saw him, I thought he’d be fifteen maybe sixteen. But now, he looks to be about my age.

I looked back at my own stack of clothes, picking the white button up from the top.

“Uniform?” I asked with an uncomfortable face.

B nodded.

I sighed, unbuttoning the shirt’s front buttons. B, who had been staring at me, quickly turned around.

I laughed. “It’s fine. I don’t care. We’re all guys here.”

B still faced the wall, his shoulders slouched. I rolled my eyes and quickly got dressed, mixing my collar and tie in the small mirror on the wall.

“You can turn around now. I’m done,” I told B. He turned, giving me a once over before stepping up to me. Up close, I realized that he was quite short. I wasn’t extremely tall, but I had hit my growth spurt a couple years back, sending me a bit taller than most boys my age.

His eyes were trained on my neck as he reached up to fix my crooked tie. He stepped back when he was done, looking up at me. I grinned. “Whoops,” I said.

B looked down quickly.

I reached over, picking up the coat that matched the uniform. “Do I have to wear this?” I asked.

B shook his head.

“Oh, then why do I have it?”

He reached into his pant pocket and pulled out a small pen and pad of paper. He scribbled quickly. _Formal events only._

“Oh,” I said. I watched as he tucked the pad back into his pocket. “So do you talk?”

B didn’t answer.

“You don’t seem to have a lot to say, but are you mute? Or is that really rude to ask?” I said quickly when B still didn’t respond.

He nodded sharply and turned around to head out of my room.

I watched, confused. “Is that a yes you talk or yes it’s rude?” I called, rushing after him again. Seriously, people in this mansion really love walking out of conversations abruptly.

B led me through a few hallways, less grand than the ones we’d walked through before. He pulled me through a door that looked relatively normal – no gold doorknobs, no mahogany designs – and I followed him into the prettiest kitchen I’ve ever seen.

The entire place was sparkling clean and there were probably a hundred plates in a glass cabinet along the wall. Beautiful tea sets and fancy glasses were stored beside it. On top of that, about fifty servants, dressed similarly to me were bustling around, even in such early hours of the morning.

B led me in, weaving through all the servants who were busy preparing breakfast for the duke, I’d suppose.

B stopped in front of a rather stout old lady, who was carrying a large pot.

“Oh, hello, B dearest!” She said, smiling warmly at B. “I haven’t seen you recently! Are you still doing well, dear?”

B nodded solemnly.

“Good,” the woman said, balancing the pot on her hip to pat B’s cheeks. “Make sure you’re still eating well, okay? Don’t want you father getting angry again, do you?”

B shook his head, something flashing in his eyes.

At that moment, the lady seemed to notice me. “Oh! And who’s your friend? Are you new, sweet?” She asked.

I nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

The lady laughed loudly, making a passing servant give her an annoyed glance.

“Please don’t call me ma’am,” the lady said. “Danielle!” She held out her hand, which I hesitantly took.

“Is- Is that your real name?” I asked, in a more hushed voice.

Danielle nodded. “Of course! I don’t believe in using fake names. It takes away personality and it hides a part of people that shouldn’t be hidden. All that trust stuff is shit, in my opinion.” My mouth dropped open at her language. Never had I heard any woman or girl use such foul language.

“Anyhow, dearies. I must be on my way. Mr. Payne has guests this morning. I must get the tea going.” She cheerfully bustled away.

I stared after her in wonder. “Who’s Mr. Payne?” I asked B.

B didn’t answer, expectantly. But his shoulders hunched more, and he had a faraway look in his eyes, much like the look he gave me in the foyer last night.

“B?” I asked, touching his shoulder. He flinched and automatically stepped away. He snapped out of whatever daze he was in, shaking his head quickly. He glanced at me and motioned for me to follow him. We continued through the kitchen until we reached a large bulletin board. Many slips of paper were stuck into it with small gold pins, and a lot had already been taken off.

B’s eyes scanned the board. His nimble and long fingers snagged two of them, handing one to me.

I looked down at the paper.

_**L. Holster**_ ****

**5 AM – Assist in kitchens**  
6 AM – Breakfast  
7 AM – Prepare guest bedrooms  
11 AM – Assist in kitchens  
12 PM – Lunch break  
1 PM – Dust music room  
3 PM – Prepare  & serve afternoon tea  
5 PM – Sweep foyer  
7 PM – Dinner service  
8 PM – Dinner 

My eyes bugged out. “Do I have to do all this today?”

B looked at me and took my paper. He compared both of ours, nodding his head occasionally. A few seconds later, he shoved both pieces of paper in his pocket. He reached behind me and pulled two crisp, white aprons from the hooks and handed one to me. B quickly put his on, tying it tightly in the back. Meanwhile, I struggled with the tie.

B gently spun me around, taking the two ties from me and tying them behind my back.

“Thanks,” I said, looking at B. He looked away. And maybe I saw the smallest hint of a smile on his face.

~

The morning crept by slowly. Helping out the cooks was rather easy. I had a love for working in the kitchen, and it all came rather naturally. B was helping out beside him, and he worked silently but efficiently. I occasionally caught him sneaking glancing at me. I pretended not to notice.

The guest bedroom was definitely the hardest. B had pulled me up to the third floor, but turning left instead of right this time, going into an even grander hallway. He pushed open one of the doors to reveal what I assumed was the guest bedroom. It was beyond grand.

There was a large bed against one wall and an empty walk-in closet. A huge window took up one wall, and when B drew open the curtains, light spilled in and made the room glow. There were intricate designs in the wallpaper and the carpet was soft and silky.

B and I changed the sheets, dusted all the furniture, and replaced all things that were the slightest bit old. The carpet was vacuumed and it all took over two hours. I assumed that it would usually take twice as long with only one person, but with B’s help, I’d gotten it done quite quickly.

Because we were done two hours early, B led me onto the balcony of the room. We were overlooking the back gardens this time, and I could see what looked like all of London, or what was truly left of London. It was quite the sight, nonetheless.

“Wow,” I breathed. “This is amazing.”

B nodded in agreement. He had his hands rested against the marble, his chin in his hands. He had a slight dreamy look in his eyes.

“Do you always do this?” I asked.

B shrugged.

We had a long moment of silence. “Why don’t you talk?” I asked.

B shook his head.

“Sensitive topic?”

He looked slightly surprised but nodded.

I sighed. “It’s okay. My mum had a lot of sensitive topics I had to stay away from. It wasn’t always easy though.”

B looked at me with a gaze that I couldn’t decipher. I looked back at him, taking in his appearance.

He had a certain thing about him that I didn’t notice before. His jawline was strong, jutting out the slightest. He had a facial structure that I could only describe as… mouthwatering? I hadn’t the slightest idea why. But I could tell that in a few years, B was going to be breaking hearts. I frowned slightly at that.

I’d been staring at him for quite a while. I didn’t even realize it, so I looked away, drawing my eyes back to the room behind us.

“Should we get going? What if someone walks in on us?” I asked nervously.

B made a small sound. It sounded like a cross between a snort and a giggle. It was very quiet though, like he was trying to stifle it.

I smiled. “What’s so funny?” I asked.

B shrugged, his slight smile still ghosting his face. Even with the smallest smile, it was contagious. I smiled wider.

“Yeah, right,” I said. “You were trying not to laugh at something. What did I say?”

His smile grew a little, but he still shrugged.

“Oh, stop, tell me!”

He made the zipper motion across his lips and shrugged again.

I rolled my eyes. I shoved his shoulder gently, a bit surprised at how easily I moved him.

“Fine then,” I said. “Let get an early start on lunch then, yeah?” I started towards the room again, smiling when I heard B following behind me.

~

After a nice lunch of egg salad sandwiches, which was not what I had made in the kitchens for the duke and whatever guests had arrived an hour before lunch. B and I had sat in the back corner of the kitchen, eating silently and watching the other servants gossip. It wasn’t all too bad.

Afterwards, however, B led me to the music room, which was on the far side of the mansion. I was exhausted by the time I got there, having climbed several flights of stairs.

“Must… I do… this… everyday?” I asked, leaning against the large oak doors.

B shook his head and pulled out his notebooks again. _Room is dusted daily by different people. Rotate between servants, so you’ll probably only get it once every other week._

I nodded, smiling at his response. It was the longest thing B had “said” to me.

We went inside and I was entranced by the many instruments, most of which I had never seen before. We went to separate sides of the room and started dusting.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t as graceful as B, so I tripped over a stand, cursing loudly. I watched in horror as the guitar fell towards the ground. But then, B caught it.

I stared at him in amazement. “How’d you- weren’t you on the other side of the room?”

He had an almost amused look on his face. He shook his head.

“Sorry,” I winced, standing back up. “Bit clumsy.”

He rolled his eyes and nodded.

“So,” I said, trying to make conversation. It wasn’t easy because B didn’t talk. “Do you play any of these instruments?” I didn’t expect him to say yes.

So to my surprise, he nodded.

“Really?” I asked, my eyebrows shooting up. “Which ones?”

He shrugged. Then he waved his hand around the room.

My mouth fell open. “You can play all of them?”

He made a so-so motion with his hand.

I grew excited. “Can you show me? Please? I really want to see.”

B’s face looked slightly uncomfortable. He glanced at the door and wrung his hands. After a short while, he shook his head.

“Please? Just a few, promise. Play a few songs for me. I just want to hear what they sound like,” I pleaded.

B glanced at the door again, before reaching down and slowly picking up the guitar. He sat down on the ground, crossing his legs and placing the wooden instrument in his lap. He glanced up at me quickly and then back down at the instrument.

I watched, entranced, as he placed his agile fingers on the strings and gave them a quick strum. He then played a quick succession of notes. His touch was light and delicate, but firm at the same time. How does one even accomplish that?

The soft strumming soon became a familiar song. The words to “Happy Birthday” immediately came to mind, making me smile. When the song was over, B looked up at me for approval.

“It was very good,” I said. “It was my birthday yesterday, you know?”

B smiled slightly again, looking down and nodding shyly.

“Really?” I asked. “How’d you know?”

He shrugged mysteriously again, and put the guitar back on the stand. He stood and I stood as well.

“Can you play the violin?” I asked, pointing to another wooden instrument.

B didn’t answer, but he walked over, picking it up. He tuned it quickly before tucking it under his chin and picking up the bow. I saw him close his eyes and take a deep breath, gently placing the bow on the strings. He extended his arm, a strong, resonating sound filling the room.

A little bit into the song, B started swaying gently to the music. It wasn’t a song I recognized, but it was beautiful nonetheless. However, I think I was more captured by the way B’s hands moved over the strings and the way his forehead furrowed slightly when he was concentrating harder.

Too soon, the sound died and B placed the violin down. He came back over to where I was leaning against the wall. His eyes flicked up to me again.

“Beautiful,” I clapped. “You have talent, you know? Really. You should find a job as a musician; maybe even write music if that’s your thing. Not be stuck here.” I gestured to the room around us.

B just sighed, his eyes getting a bit sadder again.

I put a hand on his shoulder. B looked up at me again. “It’s okay,” I said sincerely. “Whatever it is that you’re upset about, yes I can tell you’re upset, it’ll be okay.”

B nodded slightly, taking a slight step closer to me. I got the sudden urge to hug him. In fact, I was about to do just that when the doors to the music room burst open and Zen cam marching in.

“B!” He said loudly, looking over at us. “Mr. Payne decided to have tea early. You and Lank can go do that right now. I’ll send someone else to finish up dusting.”

When Zen came into the room, B had taken a large step away from me and his posture slouched once again.

With that, Zen marched back out of the room, and I couldn’t help but glare at him as he left.

~

With tea prepared, and B and I were standing in front of the parlor when I realized that B had been avoiding me since the music room. He walked a good three steps behind me and he made sure to keep his distance when we were in the kitchen. Once, our hands brushed as I went to set the sugar on the cart, and B immediately withdrew his hand.

I couldn’t help but feel a bit hurt.

B opened the doors to the parlor and I pushed the cart in. I surveyed the sight.

Two men were seated across from another man, and they were all sitting in a comfortable position, meaning they trusted each other enough to let their guards down. All three men looked up when we entered.

“Ah!” The first man said. He stood. “Tea has arrived.” He looked at me. “You’re new, aren’t you?”

I nodded my head. “Yes, sir.”

The man smiled. “Well, there’s no time like the present. I’m your boss; I guess you can say, Mr. Payne.”

Normally, I would have held out my hand to shake as a formality, but I felt like I’d probably offend someone in that situation.

Mr. Payne turned to B. “And B, where were you today? You missed the Tomlinsons’ arrival.” His expression had somewhat of a hard edge on it now. I could feel a slight change of atmosphere.

B glanced at the other two sitting on the couch. He bowed his head and nodded at them.

B immediately got to work preparing tea, so I followed his lead.

“How would you like your tea, sir?” I asked one of the two men sitting across from Mr. Payne. He had light brown hair and the lightest wrinkles around his eyes, probably from smiling.

“Two sugars, no milk,” he said, giving me a somewhat strange look. I mixed his tea carefully. I placed it on the table in front of him.

“What’s your name?” The man asked suddenly. I was a bit startled and nearly said my real name.

“F-Lank, sir.”

The man nodded and relaxed back into the couch.

“Sir, how would you like your tea?” I asked the man sitting next to him. He had his shoes off and his feet were tucked onto the couch next to him, very obviously comfortable with being seen as unformal.

“Just some honey,” he said, giving me a kind smile. He had darker hair than both Mr. Payne and the other man, but it was organized in curls around his face. He seemed like the most relaxed person in the room.

I gently stirred in his honey and placed it in front of him as well.

“Thanks, babe,” he chirped.

The other man slapped his knee, giving him a small glare.

The curly one shrugged and sipped his tea. “What? It’s polite to thank someone, okay?”

Mr. Payne spoke up, breaking their banter.

“Lou, drop it. He’s harmless,” he said.

The man, Lou, rolled his eyes and gave me a small glare.

“B, Flank, you’re dismissed,” Mr. Payne said. “You may continue with whatever duties you have left.”

B left quickly, pushing the cart in front of him. I followed behind, not bothering to correct Mr. Payne on my name. B pushed the cart back to the kitchens, and left it for the kitchen staff to take care of. He also reached into a nearby closet full of cleaning supplies and pulled out two brooms, shoving one into my chest.

“Hey!” I protested. He didn’t apologize or do anything. Instead, he brushed past me, heading towards the foyer.

I ran after him again. “Listen, B, what did I do? I can’t help but get the feeling that I upset you somehow. I’m sorry?”

B didn’t slow down. He continued walking briskly, maybe even picking up the pace.

“B!” I jogged beside him, the broom gripped in one hand. He turned down the stairs, still walking quickly. I couldn’t believe he wasn’t out of breath yet. He immediately started sweeping when he got to the bottom, his hands clenched tightly around the handle of the broom.

I huffed loudly, starting down the stairs as well. I couldn’t believe it. B doesn’t talk at all, and he still manages to ignore me. I propped my broom against a pillar, walking towards him again.

“B, why are you ignoring me?”

He walked away from me and resumed sweeping.

I had had enough. I lunged towards him, tugging the broom from his hands and throwing it to the ground. Then I shoved B into the wall, pinning his chest with my arm. Both of us were breathing hard, and I glared down at him.

B’s eyes were wide, staring up at me with some unreadable emotion. A moment of silence passed between us before I spoke.

“B, did I do something wrong?”

A small shake of the head.

“Did I offend you?”

A pause and another shake of the head.

“Did I scare you?”

A slow shake of the head.

“Damn it, B! I can’t keep guessing like this! Just tell me what the hell I did!” I was gripping his shoulders now, my knuckles turning white with frustration.

B stared into my eyes. Slowly, he reached up, taking a piece of hair that was in my face and brushed it aside lightly. I could feel the after burn of where his fingers had grazed my skin. It reminded me momentarily of my mother doing the same thing, but it felt different this time.

B’s fingers trailed down the side of my face and stopped on my cheek. My breath hitched in my throat as I suddenly noticed the few measly inches separating our faces.

B’s eyes flicked down to my lips before meeting my eyes again. I noted that his eyes were a beautiful dark brown color, so soulful with a hint of pain. I gulped hard, my heart pounding fiercely.

“Do it,” I whispered. I moved forward a bit, bringing my face down to touch B’s forehead with my own. “Kiss me.”

B snaked both his arms around the back of his neck, pulling himself up to meet my lips. His chest was flushed with mine, and I could feel his heartbeat. His arms were pressed against the back of my neck, and _oh my god_ , his lips were soft, yet firm. They weren’t too plump, but enough to compliment my thinner lips. The kiss was chaste, but I felt like I had been in a romance movie with the cameras spinning circle after circle around B and I, music climaxing in the background.

Sadly, it wasn’t like that. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, and B pulled away, taking a sharp breath and staring at me, almost fearfully, like he was expecting me to get angry. The entire mansion seemed to have gone silent, waiting for my response. But my mind was still jumbled from the tingling kiss I couldn’t process much. B didn’t wait however. He tore himself away, dashed back up the stairs and threw himself to the left. All I felt was the ghost of his touch on my skin, the fading heat from our kiss, and the disappearing footsteps.

B was gone.

~

I finished sweeping the foyer, all by myself, almost as a punishment. I had definitely messed up. Why else would B have run away? Was the kiss that bad? I mean, I know that I was rather inexperienced with kissing boys, but it couldn’t be that different from kissing a girl, could it? Had I been too eager?

When seven came around, I headed to the kitchens to assist with the dinner service. Danielle had been there to guide me through the entire thing - which courses in what order, how to properly serve the food and such. I asked her if she’d seen B, and Danielle only shook her head sadly and left.

As I carried the platter into the dining hall, my eyes scanned the room for B. He was nowhere to be seen. I sighed to myself and placed the soup down in front of Mr. Payne, taking the silver cover off. He nodded at me, and I backed away. As I stood in the shadows of the dining hall, I overheard Mr. Payne and his guests talking.

“-thank you,” the deep voice of the curly haired on said.

“Stop thanking them, H,” Lou said in a soft but commanding voice. “They’re servants. It’s what they’re supposed to do.”

“It’s just polite.”

Mr. Payne spoke up next. “They should be the ones thanking us.”

I couldn’t help but clench my fists. Thanking _them?_ For what? Sending England into an economic crisis and cutting us off from the world? For stripping people from certain liberties? For treating us like we’re lesser than them? I had to bite my lip to keep from yelling.

“I mean, think about it. If it weren’t for us, hiring them and paying them, they would be living on the streets, possibly dead by now,” Mr. Payne chuckled lightly.

I bit down harder, squeezing my eyes shut.

“Hey, Li, I think there’s something wrong with your servant over there,” Lou’s voice said loudly.

“Who? Flank?” Mr. Payne asked. My eyes shot open, my fists still clenched.

“Yes, he looks like he’s trying really hard to keep some things in. Do you have anything you want to say?” I looked over at Lou. He was smirking and swirling the liquid in his wineglass. Mr. Payne and H were staring at me as well.

Through gritted teeth, I answered. “No, I’m quite alright, thank you.”

Lou looked like he was nearly sneering. “Are you sure?”

I nodded sharply. “Yes, sir.”

Throughout the rest of the dinner service, I could feel Lou watching me. Sometimes, he’d make a snide comment about the peasants, drawing laughter from Mr. Payne, and uncomfortable smiles from H. I was so glad when I was finally relieved of standing there and serving them food.

When Danielle tried to offer me some dinner, I refused. I was very tired, and I was already very annoyed with myself as well as Mr. Payne and his guests. H wasn’t all so bad, but Lou was an absolute pain in the ass. On top of that, B had run away and I had no idea where he went. And it was only the second day that I’d known him.

As I was heading to my room, I ran into Zen along the way. He had been talking with a few maids and he smiled when he saw me.

“Lank! How was your first day?” Zen asked, strolling beside me.

“Eh, could’ve been better, I think,” I said tiredly.

“Why’s that? Was B too much for you to handle?” He laughed at his own joke.

I winced however. “No,” I said slowly. After a moment, “Is B’s room around here? I haven’t seen him in a while and I wanted to ask him something.”

Zen laughed. “Don’t expect a response.” But he pointed down the hall. “Last room down this hall. He probably won’t let you in. In fact, I don’t think anyone’s ever been in his room. He keeps it locked at all times.”

I looked down the hall. “Thanks, Zen. Um, good night.”

“Good night, Lank. Remember, be up early tomorrow.”

I nodded, walking back down the hall with a new purpose. I passed my own door and kept going. When I finally reached the final door, I hesitated. What if B really doesn’t want to see me? I shook my head. I had to talk to him. I knocked gently.

There was no answer. I knocked again. There was a soft shuffling and a piece of paper was slipped under the door.

_Go away, I’m busy._

“B, please. It’s me, Lank. I really would like to talk to you.”

There was no response, as I’d expected. But then, another piece of paper was slipped under the door.

_I don’t care._

“B, what happened? I really don’t know what I did. Sometimes, it seems like you like me, and then the next moment, you’re a cold as ice. Then you go and ki-”

The door was jerked open and B’s arm came out, pulling me inside and slamming the door shut. I was pushed harshly against the thick door, groaning a little when my shoulder took most of the impact. “Ow…” I opened my mouth to say more, but I didn’t know what to say. I had forgotten what I had been saying before, but I was also pretty sure it wasn’t too important.

B was standing in front of me, holding me in the same position I had been holding him earlier that day. His room was completely dark; the only light was the thin stream of moonlight coming in from the window on the far side.

I was completely lost for words.

“Don’t _ever,_ and I mean _ever,_ mention that in public again. I don’t care who’s around. Don’t say it. Got it?” B hissed.

I was so surprised I just opened my mouth and closed it a few times.

 _“Got it?_ ” He pushed his arm closer to my throat.

I gulped and nodded quickly. B let me go and he took a step back. I slumped against the door and stared at him in wonder. “You- You can talk!’’

“Of course I can talk,” B scoffed. “I did tell you I wasn’t mute, didn’t I?”

“Then why don’t you talk, if your voice works perfectly?” I asked. B started further into his room, and I tentatively followed.

“I have my reasons.”

“What reasons?”

“Reasons, okay? I don’t want to talk about it,” B snapped, turning around to glare at me.

“Okay, sorry.” I held up my hands in surrender. I looked around his room. It was a bit larger than mine. There was a closet of clothes and a messy bed in the middle. A desk full of different stacks of papers was pushed to one side. I hesitantly lowered myself onto his bed, perching only at the edge. “Can I… um, talk about _that_ when it’s just the two of us?”

B studied me. Then he threw himself onto his bed, having already changed out of his uniform. “I don’t care if it’s just us.”

I nodded, turning to face him. “Okay, um, why’d- why’d you run away? I thought, you know, maybe you wanted it too?”

B continued to stare at me. He narrowed his eyes slightly. Then he sighed and leaned back in his pillows. “I did want it. But I can’t.”

“Why not? If- If you’re not comfortable, it’s okay,” I said.

“It’s not that,” B said, sounding a bit frustrated. “I-I can’t tell you. I’m sorry.”

I sighed. “No, I get it, it’s okay. You don’t trust me.”

B nodded sadly. “Sorry. You’re a good person. Really. I like you, but…”

“There are some things you can’t trust me with.”

B nodded. “Yeah.”

“It’s okay, though,” I said, smiling a bit. “I’m different, right? You talk to me, you’ve let me into your room, and you’ve kissed me, so that must mean I’m special?”

B laughed a little. “I guess.”

I rolled onto my stomach, propping my head in my hands and stared at B. His legs, which were actually really long, despite his short stature, were splayed on the left side of the bed. His arms were tucked behind his head, propped up by a multitude of pillows. I smiled as I stared at his face. The moonlight highlighted the best parts perfectly.

“I like you, too, you know,” I commented after a long silence.

B smiled softly. “Thank you,” he said softly. “You’re not too bad yourself.”

I scoffed, pretending to be offended. B laughed quietly. His laugh was really nice. It wasn’t… musical, but it sounded joyful. If joy had a sound, it would be B’s laugh. Ironically, however, his eyes were often filled with pain. Thinking about it makes my heart ache a little.

To keep B laughing, I poked his side, making him jerk, giggling loudly again. “Stop it!” He protested, swatting at my hand.

I poked his stomach again. “Are you ticklish? You’re ticklish, aren’t you?”

He squirmed around the bed, trying to catch my hands but I was too quick for him. His bed creaked in protest, but neither of us cared.

Ten minutes later, we’d called it a truce. B was back in his original position on the left side of the bed, but this time, I had my head resting against his chest. He was playing with my hair, running his fingers through it.

“Do you have any dreams?” I asked.

“Dreams?”

“Yeah, you know, aspirations, ambitions, dreams,” I said, drawing patterns on his stomach.

B made a thoughtful sound. “I guess. At one point.”

“What do you mean?”

B sighed loudly, his chest moving with the sound. “Before I worked here, when I was still young.”

“Aren’t you still young? Wait, how old are you?” I asked, turning my head to look at him.

“Seventeen.”

“You’re younger than me, stop making me feel old,” I said, turning my head back.

“But when I was a kid, then. I had dreams of freedom.”

“And why not now?” I asked softly, feeling the somber mood set in.

B shrugged. “Things happened.”

“Oh.” I didn’t press further. It was obviously something B didn’t want to talk about.

We fell into silence again. It seemed common for us, but it was a comfortable silence. I listened to his heartbeat and felt the way his chest moved when he breathed.

“It’s nearly midnight,” B spoke up. “Don’t you want to be getting to bed? We both have work tomorrow.”

I nodded into his chest, my eyes already closed. “Yeah, I’ll go in a few minutes.”

B chuckled lightly, and that was the last sound I heard before falling asleep.

~

“Hey.” B’s voice cut through my dreams. “Wake up. We have work today, as much as I want to sleep in as well.”

I groaned, flipping onto my stomach. The covers of B’s bed rubbed against my bare chest, as I tried to shy away from B’s nudging. All at once, I was wide away.

Why was I sleeping in B’s bed? Why wasn’t I wearing clothes? I immediately sat up, knocking my head into B’s. I quickly kicked the covers off of myself and looked down.

I was wearing a pair of grey sweatpants and I still had my white button up on, but the shirt was only unbuttoned. I quickly thought back to last night, trying to remember.

B was furiously rubbing his forehead and glaring at me. “What was that for?”

I looked up at him, slightly worried. “I- I- what happened last night?”

“Nothing!” He said, still frowning a bit. “You fell asleep on me, and I didn’t want to wake you up, so I went to your room and got you a change of clothes because it’s uncomfortable to sleep in uniform. And I’d only managed to unbutton your shirt before you started shivering, so I just left you like that and pulled the covers over you instead.” He paused for a second. “What did you think happened?”

I blushed a bit. “I- nothing. Sorry.”

B gave me a look and then started towards his closet. “You can borrow my uniform and drop yours off in the laundry room later.”

He handed me a set of clothes. “That should fit you.”

“Thanks,” I said, taking the clothes and sliding out of bed. “Um, sorry, again.”

He waved his hand dismissively. “Get changed quickly, we have to go.”

I took off my ruffled white button up and slid down my sweatpants. B had turned around again, which made me roll my eyes. He’d literally taken my clothes off not five hours ago, and now he’s being bashful about watching me change?

“Alright, done,” I said, pulling the vest on and buttoning it up.

B turned and looked over me again. He reached up, brushing my hair back, and fixed my tie again. He had to stand on his toes to reach my hair, making me smile a little. I wrapped an arm around his waist and without warning, spun him around and dipped him towards the ground.

B yelped loudly, gripping my shoulders. I pulled him up again, laughing. “Thanks,” I said.

B slapped my shoulder gently, his cheeks red in embarrassment. “You’re horrible.”

“Nah,” I laughed. “C’mon, we’re going to be late.”

I followed B out of his room, noticing that he seemed to have an entire change in demeanor. We took the smaller hallway to the back of the kitchens today. I didn’t feel as overwhelmed as I did yesterday, which was a good thing. B led me through the kitchen staff until we stood in front of the bulletin board.

B snagged two papers off the board again, handing one to me.

_**L. Holster**_ ****

**5 AM Assist in laundry room**  
7 AM Breakfast  
8 AM Dust library  
9 AM Clean guest room  
11 AM Assist in kitchens  
12 PM Lunch service  
1 PM Lunch  
2 PM Clean kitchens  
5 PM Mop third floor  
7 PM Dinner 

B looked over at my paper and handed me his.

_**B. Pikes**_ ****

**5 AM Assist in kitchen**  
6 AM Breakfast service  
7 AM Breakfast  
8 AM Front gate duty  
11 AM Assist in kitchen  
12 PM Lunch  
1 PM Clean master bedroom  
4 PM Afternoon tea service  
5 PM Mop third floor  
7 PM Dinner 

My heart sank a little. We didn’t have the same schedules. We did have a few hours together, but yesterday was probably too good to be true. And 5 AM was rolling around too soon, so B and I parted ways for the morning. Thankfully, B had pointed out the laundry room on our way to the kitchens earlier and I’d already been to the library.

The first half of the morning went by rather smoothly. Two really nice boys, who went by Lucky and Ash, were also in the laundry room, showing me all the ropes. They seemed pretty cool.

B and I met again for breakfast, huddled in a corner of the kitchen. We had once sided conversations again, and he even stole a few pieces of food from me. Breakfast ended too soon and he was off to front gate duty, whatever that was.

Unfortunately, I was the only one in the library, so I had to dust all of it. Thankfully, dust doesn’t gather fast in the mansion, especially with all the cleaning going on every day.

The guest room was the one I’d set up with B the day before. It hadn’t been moved much. The bed had been slept in, there were clothes in the closet, and some things had been moved around. I had just started changing the bedsheets when I heard the door open. I turned, half expecting to see B, or even Zen.

Instead, Lou walked in. He looked a bit surprised to see me there, but his surprise was smoothly hidden with a smirk.

“Ah, it’s you.”

I didn’t answer.

“So. You go by _Lank?_ ” He asked, walking towards me, perching on the bed that I had only stripped halfway. He sat on the sheets that were still in my hand, preventing me from pulling them off anymore.

I gritted my teeth. “Yes, sir,” I said, nearly sarcastically.

“That can’t be your real name, can it?” He asked.

I rolled my eyes this time. “Of course not. I’m not dumb.” I quickly bit my tongue, a bit afraid.

Surprisingly, he laughed. “I didn’t say you were. But enlighten me, Lank, what is your name?”

I glared at him, not saying anything.

“C’mon. I’m nothing to you. What’s your name?” He said in a nearly teasing voice. “I’ll even tell you my name.”

“What’s the point?” I asked.

“Exactly! That’s the spirit!” He clapped his hands together. “Now, tell me and I’ll leave you alone to do your job. How’s that?”

I debated with my conscience. What could he do? I didn’t have money, he didn’t know anything else about me, and he didn’t know my business whatsoever. And he promised to leave me alone.

“Fine,” I said, clenching the sheets harder. “But you first.”

He smiled easily. “Of course. A natural negotiator. My name’s Louis.”

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” I asked.

Louis shrugged. “You don’t. It’s all about trust, isn’t it?”

I bit the inside of my cheek. “Freddie.”

He arched a single eyebrow. “Come again?”

“Freddie,” I said, a little louder.

He face betrayed no emotion, but his eyes had a flash of something quick. Unfortunately, I wasn’t fast enough to read it. Louis just nodded once and stood up.

“Nice to meet you, Freddie. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I promised my husband I’d accompany him on a horseback ride,” Louis said, brushing himself off and promptly leaving the room.

~

B and I were the only ones who were in charge of mopping the entire third floor. True, the third floor didn’t compromise much, as most of the rooms were “out of bounds”, but I was feeling very frustrated. After my little “chat” with Louis, everything had been going wrong, as if trying to warn my I’d made a huge mistake of some sort.

And so, I was complaining to the only person who’d listen.

“I just don’t get it! Why would he want my name? And even better, why the hell did I give it to him?”

B shrugged. He set down the two buckets of soapy water and handed me a mop.

“I think he just wants me to get really worked up about this. Maybe I’m giving him the satisfaction right now.” I took a deep breath. “I’m calm, I got this.”

B was already mopping, taking extra care not to get water onto the elaborate wallpaper.

I followed his lead, starting at the opposite end of the hallway. A few minutes of silence and I couldn’t hold it back anymore.

“Seriously, B, what do you think he wants from me?” I leaned on my mop, furrowing my eyebrows.

B stopped his mopping as well, giving me an exasperated look. “All you’ve been doing this entire afternoon is talking about him,” he hissed quietly. “What is _your_ problem, should be the question.”

I pouted, letting my mop fall to the ground and walked over to where B had gone back to work. I leaned against the wall, stopping him from continuing. “B, I’m distressed right now, and all you can think of is mopping?” I pouted further.

B rolled his eyes at me. “Then what do you want me to do? I’m trying to concentrate, and you here, Louis this, Louis that.” He smiled a little. “If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve been jealous.”

I smiled wickedly. “Then I have an idea.” I grabbed his wrist, and pulling him towards me. B stumbled, his foot catching on the edge of the carpet.

“Hey!”

I just laughed and pulled him further down the hall, pulling open a closed door, and peeking inside.

“We’re not allowed in here!” B said in a hushed whisper. “What are you doing?”

I found a light switch and turned it on. The room was sparsely furnished, and could’ve been anything, really. There was a dusty fireplace at one end, two armchairs, and a small table between them. A worn, red rug lay on the ground as well. A few cardboard boxes were stacked up against the wall in one corner.

I smirked and pulled B in. “No one will catch us, it’s fine.”

He stepped in nervously.

I pulled him towards me, slipping my arm around his waist. I leaned down and touched his nose with mine. “So, what’d you say about being jealous?”

B rolled his eyes, lifting his head a bit to kiss me. I smiled, kissing back. I nipped gently at his bottom lip, making him gasp in surprise.

“Shh,” I said, pulling back a hairsbreadth. I leaned back in, this time, kissing him a bit more forcefully. B pressed against me with just as much vigor. I slowly swiped my tongue against his lower lip, tugging a little. B’s eyes flew open, and I slowed down a little.

B got over his shock almost immediately, opening his mouth and practically attacking me. He wrapped his legs around my waist, his arms hugging my neck tightly. I moved my hands down to grip his ass a little. I slipped my tongue into his mouth, determined on exploring every inch.

B moaned as I did so, pressing against me even harder.

I adjusted my grip on him when I felt him slipping slightly, turning so I could pin him against the wall, never once breaking the kiss. B gave another breathy moan.

“What the hell is going on here?!”

I nearly broke my neck at the speed of which I snapped around to look at who spoke.

Zen stood at the doorway, his mouth agape, and anger slowly building behind his eyes.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” Zen roared. “Do you know how lucky you both are to even _have_ a job here? We could’ve hired anybody else, who would _actually_ do the job, instead of hiding in restricted areas and snog each other’s faces off!”

Zen huffed loudly. He shook his head. “You know what? Follow me. Both of you.” Zen stalked out of the room.

I turned back to B, his eyes wide with fear. He whimpered when I slowly let him to the ground. He quickly retracted his arms, and I felt a little hurt. I walked out of the room first, B following not far behind.

Zen was waiting impatiently at the top of the stairs, tapping his foot and glaring at me. B had his head hung and his shoulders slouched again. I felt bad. We got in trouble because of me, and now B has to pay the consequences.

Zen led us through a part of the mansion I hadn’t been in before. B obviously had been here before because he gasped lightly when we turned into the hallway. Zen’s shiny black shoes clicked against the wooden floors, and the sound echoed down the hall.

He stopped in front of a set of double doors. He knocked three times sharply.

“Come in,” a voice said from inside.

Zen opened the doors. He glared at B and me again. I winced as I walked into the room.

It was a large office, and right in front of me, sat in a large leather chair was Mr. Payne. He arched one eyebrow when I walked in. Then, when B came in after me, his eyebrows nearly flew off his face.

“Z, what’s this?” Mr. Payne asked, his voice betraying his surprise.

Zen rolled his eyes. “I caught them not doing their job.”

“Is that so? Isn’t that your job to punish them?” Mr. Payne asked.

Zen coughed. “Usually. But I caught these two snogging in one of the forbidden rooms on the third floor.”

Mr. Payne’s face hardened. “Snogging? On the third floor?” His eyes flickered from Zen to me before falling on B. “B?” Mr. Payne coughed, sitting up straighter. “Well, that’s certainly interesting information. Zen, you’re excused.”

Zen nodded and left the room, closing the large doors behind him.

After he was gone, I spoke up.

“It was my idea. Don’t punish him,” I said. “He told me it wasn’t a good idea, but I didn’t listen.”

Mr. Payne looked almost amused. “But he followed you anyways. In fact, I’d expected B to have more sense.” He looked at the smaller figure behind me. “B, you’ve worked here how long now? Five years?”

B nodded a little.

“So do you think this behavior is appropriate?”

B shook his head.

“So do you think you should be punished?”

“No!” I protested, the same time B nodded.

Mr. Payne laughed in delight. “Look, B, he’s willing to take both of your punishments, aren’t you, Lank?”

I nodded, tilting my chin up more.

Mr. Payne’s face smoothed over, almost as if someone flipped a switch. “Very well. You’re fired.”

I choked. “Wh-What?”

“Are you hard of hearing, Lank? You’re fired. You have until tomorrow morning to get your shit together. Zen will drive you down to the station in the morning. You’re both excused,” Mr. Payne finished. He then turned his chair around so he wasn’t facing us anymore.

My mouth dropped open again. I was expecting extra chores or something. This could not be happening to me. I looked at B, who actually looked more horrified than I did.

I stumbled out of the office, feeling a bit dazed.

The hallway was empty. B placed a hand on my arm. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I-I can talk to him if you want.”

I shook my head. “No, it’s okay. It was my fault after all. Besides, I don’t want you fired either.”

B’s eyes shifted down. “I’m seriously so sorry.”

I shook my head. “Don’t worry about it.” I started to walk away. B started to follow and I sighed. “Please don’t follow me, B. I-I just want to be alone for a while.”

B was hesitant, but he nodded slowly. “I’m sorry,” he whispered one more time before walking away in the opposite direction.

Since I was freshly fired, I assumed that I wasn’t expected to finish my chores for the day. Instead, I went out one of the back doors and walked through the vast rose garden. After a while, I couldn’t hear anything except for an occasional bird chirp. I found a marble bench, and lay back on it.

The cool stone calmed me down a bit. I looked up at the darkening sky, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath of the cold air. I felt myself relaxing. I couldn’t tell if I fell asleep or not. I think I was between sleep and conscious.

“Hi, what are you doing here?” A voice asked, breaking the silence. “Aren’t you cold?”

I opened my eyes, sitting up, my back aching a bit for lying on the marble for so long. The sky was completely dark now, and stars littered the expanse.

I looked at the person who was staring at me. He was sitting on the bench across from me, leaning back in his hands and staring thoughtfully at the sky.

“I’m fine, thank you.” I narrowed my eyes a little. “Aren’t you…”

He turned his attention back to me. He stretched out a long hand, smiling widely. His teeth were white and pearly. “Harry Tomlinson.”

I shook his hand. I opened my mouth to introduce myself.

“I know who you are.”

I furrowed my eyebrows. “You do?”

Harry nodded. “Yeah, of course.”

“Okay…” I took my hand back and sat on them. “So what are you doing out here?”

Harry sighed happily. “I take a walk out here every night. Never saw you before, though. What brings you out to my quiet place?”

I shrugged, not sure whether or not to tell him.

“Something bothering you?” He asked.

I have another one shouldered shrug. “Maybe.”

Harry crossed his long legs. “What happened?”

I couldn’t help but feel suspicious. “Why do you care? Don’t you have better things to do?”

Harry laughed a little. “Not really. Lou doesn’t want me helping out much. He says I’m too clumsy.”

I frowned. “That’s mean. If he treats you so badly, why do you stay with him?”

Harry grinned even wider. “He’s not like that. He’s just a bit distrustful of strangers. He’s really sweet. And I am too clumsy.”

I still didn’t feel too convinced, but I didn’t want to offend him by saying bad things about his husband.

“So do you love him?”

Harry giggled a bit. “Very much. Best thing that happened to me.”

Seeing him so happy, I couldn’t help but want to know more. After all, from what I’d experienced, Louis was anything but nice.

“How’d you meet him?” I asked, leaning forward a little.

Harry sighed happily again. “Are you sure you want to know? It’s my favorite story to tell, so I don’t want to bore you too much.”

“Trust me,” I said with a small smile of my own, “I have all the time in the world now.”

Harry nodded. “It was about… fifteen years ago.”

I let out a low whistle. “That’s really long.”

He nodded. “It is. Lou was only about twenty five or something, and he’d barely inherited his father’s wealth. At that time, England wasn’t like now, yet. So he was just like any normal person, but a lot richer.

“At that time however, things were getting rough for the country. But it wasn’t as bad yet. I think Lou knew something bad was going to happen. I found him crying in an alleyway.”

“Crying?” I interrupted. I couldn’t imagine him crying.

Harry nodded, his face solemn now. “Crying. It broke my heart and I didn’t even know who he was. I let him stay at my house that night, and he wouldn’t stop crying throughout the night. I pretty much took care of him all week, until he was well enough to talk.

“Apparently, he’d sent away his only kid with his mother. He wasn’t married to the woman, so in order to protect his bastard child, Lou sent him away. I think that’s when I fell in love with him,” Harry looked so lost in memory.

“I helped him through his depression, which lasted about a year, until he finally accepted the fact that it was for the better. Lou and I started dating a bit, nothing too serious yet. A few years after that, he fell into another spell of depression, and I took care of him all through that time. It was worse than the first time, this time accompanied with nightmares and trying to hurt himself,” Harry sighed, looking down now. He reached out to a nearby rosebush and plucked a bright red rose from the bush.

As he twirled the blossom between his fingers, Harry continued talking. “He got over that as well, but it was horrible time for the both of us. Not soon after, Lou asked me to marry him, which I gladly did.” Harry was smiling now. “It was a beautiful wedding, and I absolutely loved it. Then the disaster of England struck, and Lou became part of the elite class, as did I.”

Harry cursed quietly, dropped the rose onto the bench. I glanced at his hand. A small spot of red was blooming on the tip of his thumb.

He laughed quietly. “Told you I’m clumsy.” He took out a handkerchief and pressed it against his small wound. “Anyways, it’s getting rather late. I don’t suppose you’ve had dinner yet?”

I shook my head.

“Would you like me to accompany you to the kitchens?” Harry offered politely.

I shook my head again. “No thanks. I’m sure your husband is looking for you. I don’t think he’ll be very happy when he hears that you’ve been talking to me about his past, either.”

Harry shook his head solemnly. “He’s not as bad as you think,” he said gently, almost like he’s trying to convince me.

I just sighed. “Thanks for sitting with me, though.”

Harry smiled brightly again. He stood, and I did too. He reached down and took the rose from the bench, handing it to me. “Nice talk with you, Freddie.” Harry winked and walked away.

I smiled down at the rose, taking a sniff. I froze, as Harry’s last words processed in my mind.

“Hey-”

But he was gone.

~

Harry had been right. It was late, so I started back to my room to pack. Maybe stop by B’s room to have one last talk with him.

I went up a flight of stairs and turned towards the servants’ quarters. But then, I heard quiet conversation drifting from a room with the door barely cracked open.

“-in here, father.”

“I know that, but _whom?_ ”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know.”

My heart beat faster in my chest. I felt slightly dizzy, so I steadied myself on the wall. That voice. The way they apologized, sounded so familiar, but I was scared. That’s completely outrageous.

“We’ll never find out if you don’t talk to people, Bear. All we know is that they’re ready. And we’re not.”

My heartbeat seemed to drown out the rest of the conversation. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I clutched my stomach and leaned against the wall, breathing hard. A moment later, the door opened, and someone slipped out. They saw me and immediately stopped.

B gasped, rushing to me. “What happened? I thought you were in your room! Are you okay?” His hands flew to my shoulder, and his he brushed his hand through my messy hair several times.

“He-He’s your father?” I choked.

B immediately froze. “You heard?” He whimpered. He spun around, gripping my wrist hard and pulled me towards the servants’ quarters. He sped past my room, taking me to his room instead. He unlocked the door and pushed me inside, locking the door behind him.

I stumbled inside, breathing hard again.

“I-I think you should sit down,” he said softly, taking a seat on his bed.

I sat down tentatively. “Am I right?” I asked, my voice hoarse. “Mr. Payne is your father?”

B nodded slowly. “He is.”

Millions of questions ran through my head. I felt dizzy again.

“Then why are you working as a servant here, B?” I asked, feeling slightly betrayed and hurt.

B looked down. “My name’s Bear. My father… he wanted to protect me.”

“From what?” I asked, my voice almost hysterical.

“Rebels.”

“What rebels?”

“The peasants. They’re unhappy with England’s current way of ruling. But it’s not my father’s fault. It’s not anybody’s help except the king. But no one seems to believe that. They all think the nobility are the greatest influence on the king’s decisions. But that’s not how it is,” Bear’s eyes were filled with unshed tears. “My father hired all his servants because he doesn’t want them to starve. He doesn’t want them to be homeless. He has a hundred more servants than he truly needs.”

“But why are you working for him?” I asked him.

Bear played with his sheets. “He wanted to protect me from the possible rebellion. He believes that if no one knows I’m his son, they’ll spare me.”

My mouth fell open. “He did that for you?” I asked.

Bear nodded. “Unlike the other noble families, my father couldn’t bear to let me go, so he kept me, getting Zayn to raise me until I was twelve. That’s when I started working here.

“I did the easy jobs, but from the beginning, my father told me I can’t tell anybody anything, in case they found me out. So I didn’t talk to anybody,” Bear said. “And after a few years of social isolation, I kind of started to fade, I guess. That’s what my father and Danielle called it.”

“What do you mean? And why’s Danielle part of this?” I asked, not wanting to interrupt him, but also wanting to hear more.

“Danielle played a big part in raising me as well. She pretended to be my mother, and took care of me when I was younger. Zayn couldn’t be there all the time. He’s in charge of the servants after all.”

“Wait, Zen?”

Bear nodded. “So I started forgetting to eat, being unable to sleep at night, and just overall, the life slowly started draining from me, I guess. Danielle found out, and she told my father, who sat down with me for six hours straight. It was then that I realized how much he actually cared.”

“Wow,” I breathed. “And all of the noble families did this?”

Bear nodded. “I think so. I know that the Louis did that with his son.”

I lay back on Bear’s bed. “It’s a lot to take in,” I said.

“You’re not mad?” Bear asked quietly.

“Why would I be mad?” I asked, turning to face him. He was still fiddling with the sheets.

Bear just shrugged.

“So what about the rebellion?” I asked, changing the subject.

“My father believes that there’s a group of servants here that are actually rebels that plan to kill him. Especially with the Tomlinsons visiting, he wants to be extra cautious. He said that he’s been getting slightly threatening signs recently. Broken windows, torn tapestries, red paint smeared across mirrors.”

I opened my mouth to say something, but the Bear’s bedroom door burst open. Zen, or Zayn, came bursting in, his hair messy and his tie crooked. His eyes flickered between us, but said nothing.

“They’ve done it,” he said hurriedly, eyes trained in Bear. “You have to leave, now. B, let’s go.”

Bear looked alarmed, looking at me and then back at Zayn. “Where’s my father?”

Zayn swallowed. “He and the Tomlinsons are already in the passage. We’re just waiting for you.”

Bear stood up, and he looked at me. He pulled me up as well, hugging me tightly. “Be safe,” he whispered, his lips ghosting mine. “I’ll come back to find you someday, Lank.”

I nodded, pressing my lips to his in a bruising kiss. But time was ticking, so I pulled back quickly. “Freddie.”

Bear smiled a little. “I’ll see you soon, Freddie.”

And then he was gone.

~

I walked numbly back to my room. I could hear screaming and yelling throughout the mansion. But something felt wrong. Not the fact that there were rebels in the mansion, but something was _wrong_.

I ran. I remembered that the secret passage way was in the library. I ran down the hall, pushing past a group of distressed maids. The uppers halls were oddly empty. But when I turned one corner, I found out why. Below, near the kitchens, it was a bloodbath. Guards were everywhere, and there were also tons of people with red armbands, the rebels. Fallen littered the foyer, but I had no time to help them. I continued running.

I reached the library hall, and there was a group of three men with red armbands. Two had Zayn pinned against a wall, and Bear was lying on the ground with the third man keeping him down with a boot on his face.

I looked around desperately for a weapon. I spotted a broomstick lying forgotten by the stairs. Grabbing it, I charged at the three men.

I brought the stick down as hard as I could on the head of the third man, sending him stumbling back and falling to the ground, unconscious. Bear quickly stood up. There was a small trickle of blood running from his nose, but he looked fine otherwise.

“G-Go,” Zayn said, despite the man choking him and the other one pulled out a knife. “Ta-Take him and g-go.”

I couldn’t leave him. I pushed Bear down the hall. “You go. I’ll be right behind you,” I said. I watching him run and swung the broomstick again, but the man with the knife grabbed it before I could hit him.

He jerked it out of my hand, tossing it over the railing. He growled menacingly. I stumbled back. The man was at least three times bigger than I was, so there was no way I could go against him without a weapon.

Behind him, Zayn gave it his last struggle before going limp. The man dropped him and turned to face me with his friend.

“You’re the one that knocked out our friend?” He growled.

I took one look at them and ran. Thankfully, the hallways were narrow, so they couldn’t run side by side, or run very fast at all.

I ran into the library, and I was met with a truly distressing scene, not at all what I was expecting to see. I was hoping that they’d already left, gotten out and to safety. But apparently, Zayn had left out some details.

The hallway was still open, and Bear was crying into his father’s chest. Louis was wailing and tearing at his hair, while Harry was holding him back, also crying. They hadn’t seen me yet.

“Wh-What’s going on?” I asked loudly. The all looked towards me, slightly shocked.

“Where’s Zayn?” Mr. Payne asked, his eyes wide.

I shook my head, not able to say it. The doors behind me slammed open, and the two men that had been chasing me appeared.

“There he is!” They started towards me.

“NO!” From the corner of my eye, I saw Louis push Harry aside, running towards me. I found him standing between me and the two men.

His tear-stained face looked determined.

“What’s this?” One of the men sneered. “Mr. Tomlinson is risking his life for some pesky servant boy?” The other man laughed loudly. “Hm, who’s more worth it?”

“Well, the servant gave Thomas a concussion. Let’s take him first, and Tomlinson can be a nice addition later. In fact, maybe if you step aside now, we’ll make your death quick and painless,” The first man taunted.

“Over my dead body,” Louis growled.

“The other way around sounds good, too. We don’t mind.”

They both took out knives, and started advancing. Louis turned around. He placed both hands on my shoulders. He looked me in the eyes for a second. “Run, Freddie. Go, please.”

My eyes were wide and my feet had rooted into the ground. I saw Harry pushing Bear and his father into the tunnel and closing the door. He then started towards us. He immediately stood next to Louis, taking his hand. They both turned to face the two men. I was completely shocked. What the hell was happening?

One of the men growled and threw a punch at Harry’s face, and I was so sure the man would be knocked out immediately. But instead, he produced a flowery umbrella from who knows where. He smacked the guy in the face and sent a powerful kick between the man’s legs, making him sink to his knees in pain.

The man’s friend lunged forward, kicking Louis in the side and then grabbing a fistful of Harry’s curls and pulled. Harry cried out, tears springing up in his green eyes. The man slammed the butt of his knife down on top of Harry’s head, and he crumpled to the ground.

“Haz!” Louis screamed. The man turned to face Louis. I took this chance to wrestle the umbrella from Harry’s grip. When the man’s back was turned, I took the point of the umbrella and poked him as hard as I could in the back.

It didn’t seem to do too much damage, but he roared in pain. Louis was back on his feet, rushing to Harry’s side.

Both men were rather angry now. They glared at me like it their only source of happiness would be killing me. That was probably the case. I positioned myself in front of Louis, who was trying to wake Harry up.

I charged at the two men. It definitely wasn’t my smartest idea, but I would rather them focus their attention on me.

One of them threw their knife, but thankfully, it missed me. I dove at his feet, knocking him to the ground. The other one proceeded to jump on top of me. From the corner of my eye, I saw him raising the knife to stab me with it, so I rolled over a little, and he stabbed the knife straight into the shoulder of his friend.

It was getting hard to breathe, being squished between two rather strong men. The one under me was screaming in pain, and I took this chance to pull the knife from his shoulder. But the other man caught my wrist, squeezing hard, and making me drop the knife.

My head was starting to throb, and my vision was getting slightly fuzzy. But the, the weight on top of me was gone.

Louis had pulled him off, and I immediately rolled away. I grabbed the fallen knife, jabbing it into the neck of the man below me. He screamed in pain and writhed in pain for a few moments before going still, his eyes glazing over. I turned to where Louis had pulled the other man away.

He had the man on his back, and Louis had the umbrella in his hands, pushing it down on the man’s neck, screaming incoherent words at him, but he sounded very angry.

I thought he would manage to suffocate the man, but I saw the man’s hand inching towards something.

It was the knife the first man had thrown.

“No!” I screamed. Louis looked up, momentarily distracted. The man grabbed the knife’s hilt and slammed it into Louis’ stomach. Louis was pushed off, and he collapsed on the floor, blood dying his white shirt.

Before the man could stand up. I took the knife in my hand and stabbed it into his chest, feeling sick satisfaction from the ease the metal slid in. The man looked shocked at the sudden intrusion, and went still.

I pulled the knife out and let it drop to the ground. Shakily, I crawled to where Louis was lying. He had managed to pull the knife out of his stomach, tossing it aside. I quickly took off my own shirt, pressing it to his wound.

“F-Freddie,” he breathed.

“Shh, don’t talk,” I said, my voice cracking. I did not understand why I was feeling so emotional. “You shouldn’t have done that. You should’ve run to safety. You wouldn’t have gotten stabbed and Harry wouldn’t have been hurt either.” I had tears in my eyes now.

Louis put a hand in mine. “But you w-would’ve died.”

I looked at him, taking in his appearance. His face was ashen, and his hair was stuck to his forehead. I knew I shouldn’t be making him talk, but I had to ask. “Why does my life mean anything to you?” I whispered.

Louis squeezed my hand the slightest. He took a deep breath, coughing a bit. “I thought I lost you once. I can’t lose you again, Freddie.”

“You…” All at once, it hit me. “No, you’re- you can’t be.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, his eyes closing.

“No, you can’t die. Stop!” I screamed. “No, please, don’t- don’t die,” I hiccupped. I lifted his head gently and smoothing his hair back. “Don’t die, please don’t die,” I whispered, my head throbbing hard. I cried harder. “No, please…” I felt myself swaying. In the background, I heard people running into the room, a few screams, and then black.

~

My eyes flew open, almost like I was jolted out of my sleep. I was lying in a large room, the sheets silky and soft. A soft breeze was coming from an open window. Soft sunlight spilled onto the floor.

Why was I- Everything suddenly came flooding back, and I sat up immediately. I went a bit woozy, but I managed to stumble out of bed. I saw a white robe lying on a chair, and I put that on. I had barely gotten it tied before I opened the door, running down the hall.

I had no idea where I was going, but I had to confirm some things. I could feel tears pricking my eyes.

I ran into someone. I gripped their black suit, crying uncontrollably.

“Freddie? You’re awake!” Mr. Payne’s voice said. “What are you doing out of bed?”

“I- I have to f-find-“ I tried to say. But there were too many people I wanted to find.

He sighed. “C’mon, I’ll take you where you want to go.”

He led me back down the hall, opening a door after knocking gently. A maid opened the door, and I walked in. There was a large bed, and a man dressed in white was standing by it. A doctor. A few nurses were bustling around as well. Sitting on the other side of the bed was Harry, and he was holding a frail hand. I ran to the bedside, choking on my tears.

“No,” I breathed. “Is-Is he-?”

Harry shook his head. “In a coma.”

I sobbed, falling to my knees. I slammed my head a few times into the mattress. “All my fault.”

Harry placed his other hand on my back. “No, it’s not,” he said softly. “Freddie, what you did was so courageous. It’s not your fault. None of it is your fault. He was trying to protect you.”

“He shouldn’t have.”

Harry’s voice went hard. “But he did. Because he loves you so much. It would kill him if you died. Don’t you remember what I told you last night?”

“Last night?”

“It’s only been one day, Freddie,” Harry said, his voice softer now.

“Are-Are you okay?” I asked shakily.

Harry nodded. “Just occasional headaches.”

“Why did you stay behind?” I asked, already able to guess the answer.

“Because it would kill me if he died,” Harry whispered. “He wouldn’t leave yesterday because you weren’t there yet.”

“Yet? Zayn didn’t come to get me, though,” I asked in confusion.

Harry nodded. “Louis tried telling Zayn to get you as well, but he was too distraught to make much sense. You don’t know what you do to him.”

I hung my head.

“It’s okay, Freddie. He’ll be alright. I can feel it,” Harry whispered, squeezing Louis’ hand a little. “He’s got more to fight for now.”

The door behind us opened again. I turned around, and I stood up when I saw Bear standing here, his father behind him.

He ran straight at me, jumping up into my arms. His head was buried in my neck, his arms wrapped tightly around my neck. He clung to me like a koala, making me stumble backwards a little. I hugged him tightly.

“Hi,” he whispered hoarsely in my ear.

“Hey,” I said back with a smile.

“I thought you were going to- to-”

“I didn’t,” I assured. “L- He saved me.”

Bear slid from my embrace, looking up at me. “Are you okay?” I had a feeling he meant more than physically.

I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Bear intertwined our fingers and leans against my chest. His presence made me feel better.

“Do you know if he’s going to wake up?” Bear asked quietly, staring at the way Harry was rubbing his thumb against the back of Louis’ hand.

I shook my head slowly again. “I- I don’t know.”

He nuzzled my chest slightly, and I rested my chin on the top of his head, watching as my _father_ breathed through the ventilator.

“Maybe we should leave Harry alone with him for a while, yeah?” Bear whispered a little. “He looks like he could use some time.”

I didn’t want to leave, but Harry was looking rather worried. He was biting his lip now, and his foot was tapping rapidly against the ground.

I let Bear pull me out, glancing behind me occasionally. He took me downstairs and we went to my old room. Nothing had been moved around, thankfully.

I lay down in the bed I’d only slept in once. It was kind of scary how fast time flies. Three days ago, I was leaving home and coming into unknown territory. Bear lay on his side next to me. His hand was resting on my chest, gently picking at the cotton t-shirt.

“So what happened?” I finally asked.

Bear sighed. “After Harry locked us in the tunnel, we had no choice but to go out. We came out through the kitchens, and thankfully, by then, the fighting had died down. The guards had managed to put out the rebellion quite quickly. Apparently, the rebels weren’t as prepared as they thought.”

He yawned. “We came back into the library and saw you guys, and got you medical help as soon as possible. Louis was in the worst condition, and Harry had only gotten hit rather hard. You had just passed out. But I stayed by your side most of the night.”

“When I woke up, you weren’t there, though,’ I said.

Bear laughed weakly. “My father made me go get some food to eat. I hadn’t had any food since lunch yesterday, and he was worried I was going to fall back into my, you know, old habits, I guess you can call them.”

I wrapped an arm around his waist protectively. “Good. We wouldn’t want you passing out, do we?” I smiled, but I quickly added on, “I’m serious. I would be absolutely terrified if you passed out from hunger.”

Bear hugged my back, snuggling deeper into my chest. “Freddie?” He asked after a little while.

I hummed in response.

“What do you think will happen after this is all sorted out? People know you’re Louis’ son. You inherit everything that belongs to him after Harry, I’d presume.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Bear gripped my shirt harder. “Do you think you’ll go live in their estate? Or move back with your mother? And- And leave me?”

I thought about it. “But doesn’t everyone know you’re Liam’s son?” I had only recently learned his real name from the doctor calling him that.

Bear nodded. “Yeah, but this is my home. This is where I grew up and where I’ll stay for the rest of my life, really. This is all I know.”

I was quiet for a while to think about it. “You know what? Here’s what I think. I’m technically an adult, so I can live anywhere I want. So if- if you’d want to join me…”

Bear tilted his head up to look at me. “Are you serious? You’d want to have me move in with you?”

I nodded. “As long as you want to stay. But first,” I sat up, and Bear looked at me in confusion.

I pulled him up as well, so we were sitting across from each other.

“B,” I said, a bit teasingly. “Would you _be_ my boyfriend?”

He gave me an amused, but annoyed look before pushing me back into the bed and crawling on top of me.

“Of course, I will, you idiot,” he mumbled before kissing me full on the mouth.

And we may or may not have snogged the hours away.

~

Three days later, I had been in Bear’s new room when someone knocked on his door and it opened. Danielle stood there, carrying a basket of laundry and an excited smile on her face.

“B! And Freddie!” she chirped. Her eyes sparkled excitedly for the first time in days, since she found out about Zayn’s death. “He’s awake.”

I practically bolted towards the guest rooms, knowing exactly which room it was in from the multitude of visits I’d given him. I burst inside, my heart racing. Liam was standing on one side of the bed, holding one of my father’s hands while Harry was practically sprawled on top of him, sobbing.

Liam saw me first, politely giving up his spot for me. I slowed down a bit when I got to his bedside, not wanting to scare him. I sat down in Liam’s previous spot.

He was busy comforting Harry, not noticing me at first. When he brushed Harry’s curls out of the way, he saw me, his hand freezing.

“Freddie?” He croaked.

Harry looked up as well, upon hearing my name. He sat back down, wiping away tears with the sleeves of a large hoodie.

I gulped and nodded. “Hi,” I whispered, feeling emotional.

“We’ll leave you three alone,” Liam said, ushering the nurses and Bear out of the room, quietly closing the door.

“How- How are you?” I asked, afraid to overstep boundaries.

He just stared at me, looking tired and weak. It wasn’t until Harry squeezed his hands a little, when Louis snapped out of his daze. Louis blinked twice, swallowing hard.

“I’m- I’m managing, I guess,” he said. He had been taken off the ventilator, which meant he was getting better now. “Are you alright?”

I nodded. “Thank you. You saved my life.” I looked down, staring hard at a piece of lint on the bed.

He coughed a little, shaking the bed. “No, you saved my life. If you had not come running in, I would not have left. Then, I would have surely died.”

Harry whimpered quietly. Louis turned to his husband, giving his hand a light squeeze.

“Sorry, Hazza. I know you don’t like talking about death,” he said. Harry rested his head on Louis’ shoulder, his hair flopping into his face. Louis pushed it aside lovingly. He turned back to me. “Freddie, you- you know who I am, right?”

I nodded slowly, but said nothing. I couldn’t force the term out of my mouth.

So Louis continued talking. “And you’re- you’re okay with this?” He stammered.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s been a lot to take in. Not to mention the fact that you haven’t been there for most of my life.”

“Freddie,” Louis began. “I didn’t want to, really. If it wasn’t for your protection, I would not have ever let you go.”

I finally looked up from the spot on the bed. “What about mum?”

Louis froze, his mouth hanging open.

“You know I was forbidden to talk about you because she wasn’t mentally stable enough? I never really got to celebrate my birthday because it was so painful for her. Why did you leave her?” I demanded.

Louis’ mouth opened and closed a few times. “Briana?! We had a deal!” Anger grew on his face. “She said she’d take care of you and move away for your safety, as long as I never contacted you until you were of legal age! We never dated; we never had any connection to each other except for you!”

I frowned. “So you’re saying she’s avoided talking about you just because?”

“No, she didn’t talk about me so you wouldn’t have the urge to go find your father someday. Yes, she might have done it in an ineffective way, but it was for your protection, Freddie. Please understand,” Louis pleaded.

I looked away from him, swallowing. “What are we going to do now?”

Louis sighed, relaxing back into the pillows. Harry had his arm draped over his stomach protectively, occasionally tracing shapes.

“Well, Harry and I are probably heading back home after I’m well enough, and you’re welcome to join us. Or, since you seem to have quite the attraction to Liam’s son, you can stay here with him. But considering the possible dangers, I highly suggest you didn’t,” Louis said.

I bit my lower lip. “I was thinking, since Bear doesn’t want to stay here either, we might- we might go get our own place together.”

Both Harry and Louis looked surprised. Then, Harry leaned into Louis’ ear, whispering something. I couldn’t hear them, but Louis’ eyes continued widening. “Oh,” he said quietly, a small smile on his face now. “Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

Harry leaned away, looking immensely pleased with himself.

Louis turned to me again. “If you insist on living with Bear, you can move into Harry’s old apartment. It’s this small penthouse that should be enough for you two. Fully furnished, and Harry only has to move a few things out. It’s in London, between my estate and Liam’s estate. It’s perfect. What do you say?”

I thought about it. It was a good idea, and we wouldn’t have to wait a long time before we could move out. “Yeah,” I said. “I’ll- I’ll tell Bear about it.”

Harry beamed. “I’ll ask Ni to head over there and bring out the last of my stuff and restock the fridge and everything!”

There was a knock on the door and a nurse peeked her head in. “Mr. Tomlinson needs his rest. No more visitors.”

Louis pursed his lips to get a kiss from Harry, who happily delivered.

“Bye, Freddie. Bye, Hazza.”

Once we were outside in the halls again, I walked quietly next to Harry. I finally asked the question that had been on my mind forever. “Have you known this entire time?” I asked.

Harry laughed loudly. “Since the moment you walked in pushing that cart. You look much like your father, Freddie.”

“How did you know my name then?”

“Well, I knew your name before I met you. I knew that Louis had a son named Freddie, and he was turning eighteen soon. He chose your name, you know? Anyways, Louis had his suspicions, too, but he was too scared to hope,” Harry said, smiling fondly.

We reached the end of the hall. I asked on final question. “So you’re my stepfather, I guess?”

Harry grimaced. “Ew, please don’t call me that. Makes me feel old. Harry is just fine,” he smiled widely before hugging me tightly. “Glad you’re here, Freddie,” he said into my hair. “Lou’s a lot happier now. Thank you.”

I swallowed back tears and nodded into his shoulder. Harry pulled away, patting my head.

“See you around, Freddie.”

“Bye, Harry.”

And with that, Harry sauntered down the stairs, flipping his curls and humming. I smiled before turning the corner and heading towards Bear’s room.

~

A week later, everything seemed to have been sorted out.

All the rebels had been arrested. Zayn’s funeral was arranged for tomorrow. Harry had gotten his “small” apartment ready for Bear and I to move in. Liam hired more servants to replace those who were arrested, giving more thorough background checks for all of them. He also hired a new man, Paul, to be in charge of the servants.

Liam made it clear to everyone working or living in his home that they had to trust each other. So he started out by making everyone say their real names and having conversations while working together.

Louis had healed well, now able to move around, but he wasn’t allowed to do anything strenuous. The doctor checked up on him every morning and every night, making Louis feel very frustrated. Harry followed him around everywhere, doing things that Louis had no problem doing, and when Louis protested, Harry claimed it was “just in case”.

Every afternoon, Louis and Harry would ask me to join them for tea. Occasionally, Liam and Bear came as well. Once, we stayed in the parlor all afternoon, having dinner brought to us. Then, we watched a movie together, Harry falling asleep on Louis and Bear on me. I glanced over at Liam, surprised to see him curled up with a pillow hugged to his chest. He was staring out the window.

I think Louis and Liam thought I was asleep because they started talking in slightly hushed voices.

“I don’t know if I want to go to the funeral, Lou,” Liam said, his voice sounding hollow.

Louis sounded somber as well. “Li, you have to go. Z would’ve wanted you to go. I mean, he wouldn’t want you to be hung up on him after he died.”

Liam sniffled. He was crying. “I just- I just don’t want to see his face, peaceful and looking like it always does, but there’s nobody there. Nobody’s going to be there, Lou. It’s just going to be his cold body, his cold hands, and his cold face. He won’t be smiling. Can you see that? He won’t be smiling at me, Lou.”

It hit me then that Liam and Zayn had been a thing. That was why Liam had asked for Zayn when I came into the library. How long had he been keeping it in? After we found Zayn’s body, Liam had insisted he carry him away himself. I hadn’t thought much of it then, but now I understood.

“Oh, Li,” Louis said quietly. “Zayn’s not gone completely. He’s still with you, okay? He just- He just can’t tell you how much he loves you or how much he wants you to stay strong. For him, for Bear, for me and Harry, and for yourself. I know it’s hard, I know what it’s like to feel like you lost someone.”

“But you found him again. I don’t know if I’ll ever see Zayn again.”

Louis didn’t say anything else. Silence fell into the parlor, and I didn’t know if they were still awake.

“Hey, Li?”

“Yeah?”

“It’ll be okay, alright?” Louis said gently. He had a certain tone to him, like he knew it would turn out okay. “I love you, mate.”

“Thanks, Lou. Love you, too.”

Soon after, Louis’ gentle snoring filled the silence, and Liam’s deep breathing became even. I hugged Bear closer to my chest and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

~

It was a small funeral. Few people were there, many of which I did not know. Zayn’s family, which was actually rather large, Louis, Harry, Liam, Bear and I. Danielle was also there, but she cried so hard she had to leave halfway through her remembrance speech. The entire time, Liam seemed distant.

He was there, but he wasn’t there emotionally. His eyes were blank, and Louis called his name three times before he stumbled onto the stage to give his speech. His speech was given with no emotion whatsoever. But when he went up to the coffin, I saw him close his eyes for a long time, and when he opened them again, they were bright with tears. He quickly wiped them away and closed the coffin lid.

Zayn was buried under an old apple tree. When I asked Louis why, he said that Liam had first kissed Zayn under that apple tree, when it was still young. After the rest of us had left, Liam stayed behind, sitting under the tree and leaning against its gnarled trunk.

Later, he came to dinner, seeming a lot more alive than he did before. He said that while he was sitting under the tree, a perfect red apple had fallen down, landing right next to him. And seeing that it was mid-February, the tree was practically bare of leaves, flowers, and most definitely fruit. Louis gave him a knowing smile and nothing was said of it afterwards.

The day after, Bear and I moved into our new home. It felt so weird saying it, but it made me giddy inside. So much had happened in the past week that I didn’t question it.

Some people may think that Bear and I were moving too fast, having knowing nothing about each other two weeks ago and now moving in with each other. But maybe not. After all, things are limited, so one should try to fit as much as possible in that time.

But everything works itself out, I would know. Because three years later, things could not have been better. Louis and Harry are as happy as ever living together, and on every other weekend, Bear and I would go have dinner with them, switching off with Liam.

And yes, Bear and I are still together. He managed to open up a lot more. He laughs and smiles easily. Liam created a community of people built on trust. It was still small at the moment, but people were able to open up a lot more, making friends and becoming more relaxed.

My mother and Tilly were happy for me as well. Tilly had her first boyfriend and heartbreak, and two weeks after swearing off boys, she found her second boyfriend, whom she is still with.

Zayn’s apple tree seems to be growing brilliantly, bearing more fruit than ever. And almost coincidentally, every year, when fall comes around, when the leaves start to fall and the cold starts creeping in, the first fruit to fall always lands on Liam’s head. Without fail. Again, almost a coincident.

It wasn’t long after Bear and I moved into Harry’s penthouse did we find our own tree. There was a huge evergreen in the small woods behind Louis’ large house. It wasn’t the largest tree, but it was taller than most, and it had low branches, making it very easy to climb.

Bear and I built a tree house in it last summer, claiming it as our special place. And when I proposed the following winter, it became even more special.

And now, I think, with my wedding coming up in a few weeks, things will only be getting better.

**Author's Note:**

> OMG THIS MAY BE THE FIRST FIC OF ITS KIND! Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is possibly the first fic with Bear x Freddie? Idk why, but it thought it was cute and completely adorable to write this, even though it kind of goes against the fact that I don't think Freddie is actually Louis' child, but it's cute nonetheless.


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